iOS 14 is here, Facebook’s new VR headset, and an overseas Chinese information database has some inside scoops on influential people.
It’s all the tech news that’s popular right now. Welcome to Hashtag Trending! It’s Tuesday, Sept. 17, and I’m your host Baneet Braich.
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It was an exciting day for most iPhone users yesterday as they awaited the highly anticipated launch of iOS 14, just a day after Apple’s product event. The update is expected to come with new home screen widgets, a translation app, a picture-in-picture mode, and more. But iOS developers left hanging with a tight deadline to compile, test, and submit their apps in time for the launch of iOS 14 made their frustrations known on social media. The Verge spoke to several iOS devs who shared their concerns, one even saying “I think a lot of developers won’t be sleeping tonight, or instead just give up and opt to release as and when they want to instead of alongside the new OS.”
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Facebook’s advanced VR set is making headlines. Oculus 2 will be available after spring 2021 for all the VR enthusiasts. The Quest 2 starts at $300 for the 64 GB model and the 256 GB model will sell for $400. Facebook is ditching the Rift headset that requires a PC. For this one you can still hook the Quest 2 up to a PC if needed. But everything you really need is bundled inside the headset. Facebook has told CNBC that it’s boosting production of the Oculus Quest 2 to meet demand. But, it still hasn’t revealed how many of these VR headsets it has actually sold.
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A Chinese database has revealed a whole lot of details about influential people. A US research firm has evidence of a 2.4-million-person database compiled by a Chinese company known to supply intelligence, military, and security agencies. According to the researchers, the intent behind this is likely to influence operations against prominent people outside China. One security researcher told the Register that the information was likely scraped from social media and public sources however, 10 to 20 per cent was information not publicly available.
That’s all the tech news that’s trending right now. Hashtag Trending is a part of the ITWC Podcast network. Add us to your Alexa Flash Briefing or your Google Home daily briefing. I’m Baneet Braich, thanks for listening.